Device management method and program

Abstract

To provide a device management system and the like, which can efficiently associate users and devices.SOLUTION: A device management method by a device management system including one or a plurality of control units includes the one or the plurality of control units receiving a request to associate a first device identifier identifying a first device 11 and a first user identifier identifying a first user and when, in correspondence in which device identifiers identifying devices are associated with user identifiers identifying users, (i) the first device identifier is associated with a second user identifier different from the first user identifier and (ii) the first user identifier is associated with a second device identifier identifying a second device 12 different from the first device, storing the second device identifier and the second user identifier in association with each other (S71).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 32

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a device management method and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, there has been a trend in which household appliances (also called devices) are connected via a network to a home appliance control cloud (also called a control cloud), which is a cloud that controls the devices, and operate under the control of the control cloud (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-63520 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Under the control of the control cloud, a user can operate a device using an operating device such as a smartphone. In order to operate a device using the operating device in this manner, the device to be operated by the user must be recognized on the control cloud. In other words, the control cloud must associate a user with a device by associating a user identifier that identifies the user with a device identifier that identifies the device.

[0005] However, the user must set up a correspondence between the user identifier and the device identifier in the control cloud, which poses a problem in that it is time-consuming to associate the user with all of the multiple devices that the user owns.

[0006] Therefore, the present disclosure provides a device management system and the like that can efficiently associate users with devices. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] Book A device management method according to one aspect of the disclosure includes: Equipment management device A device management method according to the 、 receiving a request for association between a first device identifier that identifies a first device and a first user identifier that identifies a first user; (i) When information indicating that a second user identified by a second user identifier different from the first user identifier is in the same group as the first user is received from an operation terminal operated by the first user. And , (ii) In a correspondence relationship in which a device identifier for identifying a device is associated with a user identifier for identifying a user, When the first device identifier is associated with the second user identifier, in the correspondence relationship The first device identifier and the second user identifier are stored in association with each other.

[0009] These general or specific aspects may be realized as a system, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, or may be realized as any combination of a system, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] The device management method of the present disclosure can efficiently associate user accounts with devices. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the evolution of home appliances. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the architecture of third-generation home appliances and their linkage with external services. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the architecture of third-generation home appliances and their collaboration with AI speakers. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the first problem of third-generation home appliances. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a second problem of third-generation home appliances. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the internet connection rate of home appliances with built-in internet connection functions. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the Internet connection of a cloud-based home appliance. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a table showing the characteristics of communication methods (Wi-Fi, LPWA) that can be used with always-on IoT home appliances. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a first explanatory diagram showing the architecture of fourth-generation home appliances (always-connected IoT home appliances) and external service collaboration. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a second explanatory diagram showing the architecture of the fourth-generation home appliances and the external service linkage. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a third explanatory diagram showing the architecture of fourth-generation home appliances and external service linkages. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the evolution of the architecture of home appliances. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the division of functions (externalization of functions) among fourth-generation home appliances. [Figure 14] Figure 14 shows the relationship between the four layers of customer contact points and always-on IoT home appliances. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a flow of collecting operational status data of home appliances in the appliance management system. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a table showing specific examples of operation information and unique information of home appliances received by the cloud. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an IoT home appliance. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a server that is an IoT home appliance control cloud. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a graph for explaining a method for detecting that a device has been installed in a general home. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a graph for explaining a method for detecting that a device has been installed in a general home. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example in which the exclusion range is determined using operation information and location information transmitted from a plurality of devices. [Figure 22] FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing the process for obtaining consent to log transmission when installing a device. [Figure 23] FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure for using an IoT home appliance service. [Figure 24] FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating a first example of a procedure for associating a device with a user. [Figure 25] FIG. 25 is a flowchart showing a first example of a procedure for associating a device with a user. [Figure 26] FIG. 26 is a sequence diagram showing a first example of a procedure for associating a device with a user. [Figure 27] FIG. 27 is a flowchart showing a second example of the procedure for associating a device with a user. [Figure 28] FIG. 28 is a sequence diagram showing a second example of the procedure for associating a device with a user. [Figure 29] FIG. 29 is a diagram illustrating a first scene of an example of a method for linking a plurality of devices with a plurality of users. [Figure 30] FIG. 30 is a diagram illustrating a second example of the method for linking a plurality of devices with a plurality of users. [Figure 31] FIG. 31 is a diagram illustrating a third example of the method for linking a plurality of devices with a plurality of users. [Figure 32] FIG. 32 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the linking process performed when different user accounts are linked to the same device ID. [Figure 33] FIG. 33 is a diagram showing an example of information indicating a notification to an operating device in the association process that is performed when different user accounts are associated with the same device ID. [Figure 34] FIG. 34 is a diagram illustrating a fourth example of the method for linking a plurality of devices with a plurality of users. [Figure 35] FIG. 35 is a diagram for explaining another example of a method for linking a plurality of devices with a plurality of users. [Figure 36] FIG. 36 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for determining whether the property is a "moving" or a "transfer." [Figure 37] FIG. 37 is a diagram for explaining another example of the process for determining whether the property has been moved or transferred. [Figure 38] FIG. 38 is a flowchart showing another example of the process for determining whether the property is a "moving" or a "transfer." [Figure 39] FIG. 39 is a diagram illustrating another example of the process for determining whether the property has been moved or transferred. [Figure 40] FIG. 40 is a flowchart showing another example of the process for determining whether the property is a "moving" or a "transfer." [Figure 41] FIG. 41 is a diagram for explaining an exception to the case where "moving" is expected. [Figure 42] FIG. 42 is a table categorized according to the type of device. [Figure 43] FIG. 43 is a graph showing an example of a predicted case in which a device is "transferred, resold, or stolen." [Figure 44] FIG. 44 is a flowchart of a process for implementing measures when a device is stolen. [Figure 45] FIG. 45 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for linking a user with a device when movement of the device is detected. [Figure 46] FIG. 46 is a flowchart showing another example of the process of linking a user with a device when movement of the device is detected. [Figure 47] FIG. 47 is a graph showing an example of a case where a "family composition change" of a user is predicted. [Figure 48] FIG. 48 is a graph showing an example of a case where a device is predicted to have "failed." [Figure 49] FIG. 49 is a graph showing an example of a case where a device is predicted to be "discarded." DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] A device management method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is a device management method performed in a server that is communicatively connected via a network to a plurality of devices and a first operating device that is associated with a first user identifier that identifies a first user, and includes: a receiving step of receiving from the first operating device a request to associate a first device identifier that identifies a first device among the plurality of devices with the first user identifier; and a storage step of storing a correspondence relationship stored in a storage device, in which a device identifier that identifies a device is associated with a user identifier that identifies a user, in which (i) the first device identifier is associated with a second user identifier that is different from the first user identifier, and (ii) the first user identifier is associated with a second device identifier that identifies a second device among the plurality of devices that is different from the first device.

[0013] According to this, when a request for associating a first device identifier with a first user identifier is received, the second device identifier with the second user identifier is associated and stored using the association relationship stored in the storage device, thereby enabling efficient association between users and devices.

[0014] In addition, in the storage step, if the correspondence relationship indicates that the first device identifier is associated with a second user identifier different from the first user identifier, a first inquiry is sent to the first operating device to confirm whether the second user identified by the second user identifier is a member of a first user group to which the first user belongs, a first response to the sent first inquiry is received, and if the received first response includes a response indicating that the second user has been recognized as a member of the first user group, the first device identifier and the first user identifier may be stored in association with each other.

[0015] In addition, in the storing step, if the received first response includes a response indicating that the second user was not approved as a member of the first user group, the first device identifier may not be associated with the first user identifier, and the second device identifier may not be associated with the second user identifier.

[0016] According to this, the first device identifier and the first user identifier are associated with each other in accordance with the first response that is the result of the first inquiry, and therefore it is possible to avoid accepting undesirable requests for association.

[0017] In addition, the storage step may further include, if the received first response includes a response indicating that the second user has been approved to be a member of the first user group, sending a second inquiry to confirm whether the first user is a member of the second user group to which the second user belongs, receiving a second response to the sent second inquiry, and if the received second response includes a response indicating that the first user has been approved to be a member of the second user group, storing the first device identifier and the first user identifier in association with each other.

[0018] In addition, in the storage step, if the received second response includes a response indicating that the first user was not approved as a member of the second user group, the first device identifier may not be associated with the first user identifier, and the second device identifier may not be associated with the second user identifier.

[0019] According to this, the first device identifier and the first user identifier are associated with each other in accordance with the second response that is the result of the second inquiry, so that it is possible to avoid accepting undesirable requests for association.

[0020] In addition, the storage step may include, when the correspondence relationship indicates that the first device identifier is associated with a second user identifier different from the first user identifier, sending a third inquiry to the first operating device to confirm whether the second user identified by the second user identifier is the same person as the first user, receiving a third response to the sent third inquiry, and if the received third response includes a response indicating that it has been confirmed that the first user and the second user are the same person, storing the first user identifier and the second user identifier in association with each other.

[0021] Therefore, in order to inquire whether the users are the same person, information obtained from devices associated with the same person can be used to control the devices in a way that is optimal for each individual user.

[0022] In addition, in the storage step, if the correspondence relationship corresponds to a third device identifier that identifies a third device among the plurality of devices that is different from the first device and the second device, and the second user identifier, the third device identifier and the first user identifier may be stored in correspondence with each other.

[0023] This allows for more efficient association between users and devices.

[0024] Furthermore, a device management method performed in a server communicatively connected via a network to a plurality of devices and a first operating device associated with a first user identifier that identifies a first user may include: a receiving step of receiving from the first operating device a request to associate a first device identifier that identifies a first device among the plurality of devices with the first user identifier; and a storage step of storing a correspondence relationship stored in a storage device, in which a device identifier that identifies a device is associated with a user identifier that identifies a user, in the case where (i) a second user identifier different from the first user identifier is associated with the first device identifier, and (ii) a third device identifier that identifies a third device among the plurality of devices, different from the first device, is associated with the third device identifier and the first user identifier.

[0025] According to this, when a request for associating the first device identifier with the first user identifier is received, the third device identifier and the first user identifier are associated and stored using the association relationship stored in the storage device, thereby enabling efficient association between users and devices.

[0026] In addition, the receiving step may receive the request by receiving the first user identifier from the first operating device and receiving device-related information about the first device from the first operating device or the first operating device, and the storing step may identify the first device based on the acquired device-related information, send a fourth inquiry to the identified first device via the network, and when a fourth response to the sent fourth inquiry is received from the first device or the first operating device, associate the first device identifier with the first user identifier and store them, and when the fourth response is not received, not associate the first device identifier with the first user identifier.

[0027] This allows devices and users to be associated with each other with high accuracy.

[0028] Furthermore, each of the plurality of devices may be communicatively connected to the network via a base station for long-distance wireless communication, and the fourth inquiry may be transmitted to the first device via the base station.

[0029] This allows the device to receive a fourth inquiry via the long-distance wireless communication base station.

[0030] The long-distance wireless communication may be LPWA (Low Power, Wide Area) communication.

[0031] This allows the device to receive the fourth inquiry via the LPWA base station.

[0032] These general or specific aspects may be realized as a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, or may be realized as any combination of a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium.

[0033] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, more detailed explanation than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed explanation of well-known matters or redundant explanation of substantially the same configuration may be omitted. This is to avoid unnecessary redundancy in the following explanation and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

[0034] The inventors have provided the accompanying drawings and the following description to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and do not intend for them to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

[0035] Hereinafter, the background to the present invention and the problems to be solved by the present invention will be described in detail, and then embodiments will be described.

[0036] (Background to the present invention) FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the evolution of home appliances.

[0037] Figure 1 shows the evolution of the architecture of home appliances (white goods such as washing machines and refrigerators, as well as air conditioners, humidifiers, and air purifiers).

[0038] First-generation home appliances (before 1990) were single-function products, as their hardware, such as compressors and motors, was realized using control logic created using LSIs (Large-scale Integrated Circuits).

[0039] The second generation of microcomputer-equipped home appliances (from 1990 to around 2010) introduced microcomputers, and by creating software for the microcomputers, complex control became possible, allowing for multifunctional home appliances. However, it was not possible to change or add functions by changing the microcomputer after shipment.

[0040] Third-generation cloud-based home appliances (2012 and later) are equipped with communication functions such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) and Bluetooth (hereinafter referred to as BT), and can connect to an IoT (Internet of Things) home appliance control cloud via a home gateway (GW) and broadband network. This makes it possible to update the software of the microcontroller inside the appliance from the cloud even after shipping. Functions can be added and updated even after shipping by updating the control mechanism of the device on the cloud side, without updating the microcontroller software. The IoT home appliance control cloud is a cloud (a collection of servers and networks) that controls home appliances via communication paths such as broadband networks, and is a type of cloud-based service.

[0041] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the architecture of third-generation home appliances and their linkage with external services.

[0042] In the case of third-generation cloud-based home appliances (white goods such as washing machines and refrigerators, as well as air conditioners and humidifiers), it will be possible to access each home appliance in the home from smartphone APPs (applications) via each home appliance control mechanism in the IoT home appliance control cloud.

[0043] Therefore, by using smartphone apps, users can remotely monitor the operation status of each home appliance and remotely control its operation (start, stop, adjust temperature, dispense detergent, etc.) Furthermore, by linking external services such as an EC service cloud or a monitoring service cloud with each home appliance control mechanism in the IoT home appliance control cloud, it becomes possible to control home appliances from various cloud services and extract operation information (logs, etc.) of home appliances and use it in external services.

[0044] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of collaboration between the architecture of third-generation home appliances and AI (Artificial Intelligence) speakers.

[0045] In the case of third-generation cloud-based home appliances (white goods such as washing machines and refrigerators, as well as air conditioners and humidifiers), an AI speaker with voice interaction functionality accesses the AI ​​speaker control mechanism in the cloud via the home gateway, and this AI speaker control mechanism then accesses the control mechanism for each home appliance, allowing the user to remotely control each appliance via voice interaction from the AI ​​speaker.

[0046] (Issues to be resolved) Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the first problem with third-generation home appliances. The first problem is that in homes without a Wi-Fi gateway, the functions of third-generation home appliances cannot be used.

[0047] Even if a household purchases third-generation cloud-based home appliances (white goods such as washing machines and refrigerators, as well as air conditioners and humidifiers), if the household does not have a home gateway such as Wi-Fi and cannot connect to a broadband network, the cloud-based home appliances will not be able to connect to the IoT home appliance control cloud. In this case, the IoT home appliance control cloud will not be able to access the appliances, and the goal of third-generation home appliances, which is to increase product added value by evolving functions on the cloud side after purchase, will not be achieved. As a result, even though they are IoT home appliances, they can only be used as conventional second-generation home appliances (microcomputer-based home appliances) whose functions are fixed at the time of manufacture.

[0048] Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the second problem of third-generation home appliances. The second problem is that even if a Wi-Fi GW is installed in the home, users do not connect third-generation home appliances to the Wi-Fi GW.

[0049] Without an internet connection via Wi-Fi or other means, information devices such as smartphones, tablets, and PCs, or AI speakers, cannot provide the functions that users desire. Furthermore, some smartphones or AI speakers cannot be used unless they are connected to the internet and user information (email address, account, etc.) is set up. Since users purchase these devices in order to use their functions, they must set up a user ID or Wi-Fi and connect to the internet.

[0050] For smart TVs, YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video distribution services such as Netflix and Netflix Online have become widespread, and users (or installers) often configure Wi-Fi in order to watch these video contents on large-screen TVs.

[0051] In the case of cloud-based home appliances, users often do not set up their internet connection from the start because it is difficult to understand the internet services that become available after users have gone through the trouble of setting up Wi-Fi, or because the value of these internet services is not felt by users as a necessary function.

[0052] Also, immediately after purchase, users will set up Wi-Fi, but if they think that the Internet service is not very convenient, they will often disconnect the connection they have made, or not reconnect if the connection is lost for some reason.

[0053] Therefore, since we can expect almost 100% connectivity between information devices and AI speakers, it is possible to develop various cloud services on the assumption that they will be connected to the Internet, but in the case of TVs or home appliances, a 100% connectivity rate is hardly expected.

[0054] FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the internet connection rate of home appliances (AV and household appliances) with built-in internet connection functions.

[0055] The aforementioned cloud-based home appliances are equipped with communication methods such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, allowing them to connect to the IoT home appliance control cloud and use various cloud services, thereby providing customer value that microcomputer-based home appliances do not offer.As a result, the value provided exceeds the increased costs of implementing communication methods such as Wi-Fi in cloud-based home appliances, thereby improving customer satisfaction.

[0056] However, the above-mentioned communication methods have the problem that in many cases, the users who own the devices cannot configure them, as described below. In other words, if cloud-based home appliances are not connected to the cloud, they can only provide the same customer value as microcomputer-based home appliances.

[0057] (1) To connect to Wi-Fi, users need to have a Wi-Fi access point in their home. However, some users only connect to the Internet from their smartphones, i.e., users who only use the communication networks provided by their telecommunications carriers, do not have a Wi-Fi access point in their home.

[0058] (2) Even if there is a Wi-Fi access point in the home, it is difficult to say that everyone can easily set up a Wi-Fi connection due to the complexity of setting up the connection for home appliances, for example, the connection process including entering a Wi-Fi password.

[0059] In fact, as shown in Figure 6, the network connection rate for cloud-enabled TVs or cloud-based home appliances in the Japanese market in 2017 was less than 50%, indicating that many users are using cloud-based home appliances as microcomputer-based home appliances.

[0060] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the Internet connection of a cloud-based home appliance.

[0061] If a Cloud Living Appliance is not connected to the cloud, it is not possible to access the Cloud Living Appliance from the IoT Home Appliance Control Cloud, which means that it is not possible to take advantage of the product's added value improvement features that can be realized with Cloud Living Appliances through functional evolution on the cloud side after purchase.

[0062] Therefore, even though it is a cloud-based home appliance, it can only use the same functions as conventional microcomputer home appliances, whose functions are fixed at the time of manufacturing.

[0063] With true cloud-based appliances, in the unlikely event of a recall, it would be possible to issue an emergency shutdown command to the appliance, remotely update the firmware, or send email notifications to users. However, due to the current low connection rate, manufacturers are often unable to use the functions to control cloud-based appliances from these IoT home appliance control clouds. As a result, functions such as remote maintenance and recall notifications, which would be possible if remote monitoring and control were possible for all cloud-based appliances, are not fully functional.

[0064] Therefore, while it is sometimes difficult for cloud-based home appliances equipped with communication methods such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth to actually connect to the cloud, various communication methods have become available to enable devices or sensors other than home appliances to become IoT devices.

[0065] In particular, wireless communication methods developed specifically for use in IoT, collectively known as LPWA (Low Power Wide Area), have been put into practical use and are attracting attention as a communication method suitable for the IoT era.

[0066] The features of LPWA wireless are that, compared to LTE (Long Term Evolution), terminal costs can be reduced through small-scale semiconductor implementation, and the number of base stations can be reduced through low-rate modulation, which allows for very long communication distances (up to 10 km).This has resulted in lower costs for both radio circuits and infrastructure equipment.However, because it uses a method of lowering the transmission rate to improve receiving sensitivity, the amount of data that can be transmitted is small.

[0067] By installing LPWA wireless in home appliances, users will no longer need to sign up for an internet line, and home appliances will be able to connect directly to base stations, potentially making it possible to provide services connected to cloud servers at extremely low cost.

[0068] LPWA is classified into cellular LPWA and non-cellular LPWA. Cellular LPWA uses frequency bands (licensed bands) allocated to cellular carriers and is provided as one of the cellular lines (such as LTE).

[0069] Non-cellular LPWA uses LPWA radio by utilizing unlicensed bands available in each country, eliminating the need for channel usage fees. Because unlicensed bands are shared with other wireless systems, restrictions are stipulated in each country's radio wave laws to prevent channel monopolization.

[0070] Representative LPWA methods are described below.

[0071] Figure 8 is a table showing the characteristics of communication methods (Wi-Fi, LPWA) that can be used with always-on IoT home appliances.

[0072] (1) Cellular LPWA (1-1)NB-IoT Originating from the GSM (registered trademark) (2G) system, it applies the advantages of low transmission rates and LTE communication sequences to its specifications, specializing in data transmission for IoT. The channel spacing is the same as GSM at 200 kHz, making it easy to replace and operate with GSM channels. The peak rate of uplink transmission has been reduced to 62.5 kbps, and sensitivity has been improved by storing and receiving data through multiple repeated transmissions (64 times). The maximum link budget is a large 130 dB. Furthermore, the transmission power is limited to 100 mW (GSM is 2 W), reducing peak current and enabling operation on a single battery.

[0073] (1-2) LTE-M (CAT-M) It originated from the LTE (4G) system and is a communication method that uses the LTE minimum channel spacing (1.4 MHz). Because it conforms to the LTE slot configuration, it can be operated mixed with conventional LTE communication slots. The sensitivity point has been improved by slowing the peak rate of uplink transmission to 1 Mbps and storing and receiving data through repeated transmission. The maximum link budget is 130 dB.

[0074] Because the transmission rate is relatively high, it consumes the least amount of power when battery-powered. The transmission power is 200mW.

[0075] (2) Non-cellular LPWA (2-1)LoRa It uses the conventional low-power radio band (ISM band), but improves reception sensitivity through ultra-low rate modulation. Ultra-low rate modulation is achieved by using a special spread modulation called LoRa chirp modulation. LoRa chirp modulation is characterized by a low transmission rate of 250 bps and a spread band of 125 kHz, making it resistant to interference noise and highly sensitive. In addition, multiple data rates can be selected within the same bandwidth, and these can be received simultaneously on the same channel, improving communication capacity. The maximum link budget is 149 dB. The transmission power is 20 mW.

[0076] It inherits the characteristics of conventional low-power radio (low power, small current peak), and can run on a single battery for 10 years or on a coin battery.

[0077] The LoRa Alliance has unified specifications, enabling interconnection between operators.

[0078] (2-2)SIGFOX Although it uses the conventional low-power radio band (ISM band), it improves reception sensitivity by using ultra-low rate modulation. Ultra-low rate modulation is achieved by narrowband FSK modulation, and the problem of frequency error is overcome by devising digital demodulation processing on the base station side. SIGFOX modulation has a fixed rate of 100 bps for upload and 600 bps for download. The effects of interference noise are avoided by transmitting multiple times at different frequencies. Due to the fixed rate and the inability to receive multiple signals simultaneously, the communication capacity is relatively small. The maximum link budget is 158 dB. The transmission power is 20 mW.

[0079] SIGFOX inherits the characteristics of conventional low-power radio (low power, small current peak) and can run on a single battery for 10 years or on a coin battery.

[0080] The specifications will be unique to SIGFOX, and base stations will be exclusively operated by SIGFOX alone.

[0081] SIGFOX can only communicate one way, so it can be used for sensor-based IoT, but is not suitable for IoT home appliances.

[0082] As shown in Figure 8, a combination of LPWA technology and Wi-Fi is considered appropriate for realizing always-connected IoT home appliances. However, the three LPWA methods mentioned above each have different characteristics, so prioritizing communication quality will result in higher costs, while prioritizing cost will result in poor communication quality and the risk of not being able to ensure stable communication. For this reason, it is difficult to select a single LPWA method for always-connected IoT home appliances.

[0083] (Embodiment) In the following, we will describe devices that can be properly connected to and controlled by the control cloud.

[0084] Figure 9 is a first explanatory diagram showing the architecture of fourth-generation home appliances (always-connected IoT home appliances) and their collaboration with external services. Home appliances include white goods such as washing machines and refrigerators, as well as air conditioners and humidifiers and air purifiers, and are also simply called devices.

[0085] To solve the issues surrounding third-generation home appliances, it was necessary to develop a service that would make all users of home appliances have a Wi-Fi gateway, connect their appliances to the Internet, and make them want to use them continuously, while also making it easy to set up Wi-Fi.

[0086] However, with the recent rise of various communication methods, a communication method collectively known as LPWA (Low Power Wide Area), which allows home appliances to connect to the cloud more easily than before, has been proposed and is attracting attention.

[0087] The features of LPWA are that it can be used without any user configuration, it has a very long communication distance (up to 10km), and it will always connect to a base station wherever there is radio wave coverage.

[0088] For fourth-generation home appliances (always-connected IoT appliances), LPWA technology will enable users to connect to the cloud without having to prepare a Wi-Fi gateway or go through the hassle of setting up Wi-Fi, making it possible to expand functionality on the cloud after purchase.

[0089] FIG. 10 is a second explanatory diagram showing the architecture of the fourth-generation home appliances and the external service linkage.

[0090] While LPWA has excellent features as mentioned above, it uses a method of lowering the transmission rate to improve reception sensitivity, so the amount of data that can be transmitted is smaller than with Wi-Fi or LTE. For this reason, fourth-generation home appliances (hereinafter also referred to as "always-on IoT home appliances") will not only feature LPWA, but also Wi-Fi, just like third-generation home appliances, to enable appropriate communication according to the application.

[0091] FIG. 11 is a third explanatory diagram showing the architecture of fourth-generation home appliances and external service linkages.

[0092] One of the major issues with third-generation home appliances is that users are forced to go through the hassle of setting up Wi-Fi. However, by using LPWA for Wi-Fi setup, as shown in the example below, setup can be simplified.

[0093] (1) Wi-Fi settings are entered into the cloud, and fourth-generation home appliances use LPWA to obtain Wi-Fi settings from the cloud and connect to the Wi-Fi GW.

[0094] (2) Enter Wi-Fi settings into one fourth-generation home appliance and send them via LPWA to other devices in the home, which then use those settings to connect to the Wi-Fi GW.

[0095] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the evolution of the architecture of home appliances.

[0096] First-generation (pre-1990) home appliances are single-function products realized by mechanics such as compressors and motors and control logic.

[0097] Second-generation home appliances (up until around 2010) had built-in microcomputers, which enabled complex control by running microcomputer software on the microcomputer. This made second-generation home appliances multifunctional. However, it was difficult to change or add functions by modifying the microcomputer software after the device was shipped.

[0098] Third-generation cloud-based home appliances (from 2012 onwards) have communication functions such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and can connect to the IoT home appliance control cloud via the home gateway and broadband network. This means that cloud-based home appliances can now add or update functions by updating the microcomputer software inside the appliance from the IoT home appliance control cloud, even after shipping, or by updating the control mechanism of the device on the cloud side without updating the microcomputer software. However, with Wi-Fi and other methods, it was difficult to connect all shipped products, and cloud functions were often not usable.

[0099] With always-on IoT home appliances equipped with always-on functionality such as fourth-generation (2020 and later) LPWA, it is possible to connect all shipped products, and it is thought that cloud functions will become available to all products.

[0100] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the division of functions (externalization of functions) among fourth-generation home appliances.

[0101] In the case of fourth-generation cloud-based home appliances (white goods such as washing machines and refrigerators, as well as air conditioners, humidifiers, and air purifiers), by connecting the home appliances, the cloud (server), and UI devices such as smartphones with a constant connection function, it is possible to share functions (externalize functions) between the cloud, smartphones, and home appliances.As a result, even after the device has been shipped, it is possible to improve the functionality and performance of the home appliances by changing or adding functions on the cloud side.

[0102] Furthermore, with fourth-generation cloud-based home appliances, it is easy to maintain a constant connection for all shipped products, making it possible to remotely monitor and control all products even after shipment. This is expected to significantly improve quality assurance functions. Furthermore, even in the unfortunate event of a product recall, the cloud continues to communicate with and trace devices even after shipment, making it possible to notify recalled products of the malfunction and forcibly shut them down. This makes it possible to significantly reduce recall costs.

[0103] Figure 14 shows the relationship between the four layers of customer contact points and always-on IoT home appliances.

[0104] Mobile carriers have built a complete platform for feature phones (device ID, personal information, location information, payment methods, etc.).

[0105] Next, with the emergence of portable music players, smartphones, and other devices, cloud services were taken over, weakening the ecosystem built by mobile carriers.

[0106] In the future, with the emergence of fourth-generation IoT home appliances that support constant connectivity, it is expected that securing a device ID (cloud-linked ID) that can be constantly connected to the cloud will be able to be used to obtain customer contact points.

[0107] Fig. 15 is a diagram showing a flow of collecting operational status data of home appliances in a device management system, Fig. 16 is a table showing specific examples of operational information and unique information of home appliances received by the cloud.

[0108] As shown in FIG. 15, the device management system 1 includes a server 20, a base station 30, and a plurality of devices 10.

[0109] The server 20 is connected to a network such as the Internet and functions as an IoT home appliance control cloud. The detailed functions of the server 20 will be described later.

[0110] The base station 30 is, for example, an LPWA base station, and is a base station used for long-distance wireless communication to keep IoT home appliances connected to the network at all times. Although one base station 30 is shown in Fig. 15, the device management system 1 includes multiple base stations 30.

[0111] Each of the multiple devices 10 is the above-mentioned fourth-generation home appliance, that is, a constantly connected IoT appliance, and is communicatively connected to one of the multiple base stations 30. Each device 10 sequentially transmits operation status data (hereinafter also referred to as "operation information") indicating the current operation status of the device 10 to the server 20 via one base station 30 using an LPWA communication module built into the device 10.

[0112] As shown in FIG. 16 , the operation information includes data items such as a “device-specific ID,” “communication module ID,” “communication module type,” “transmission date and time,” “power status,” “start date and time of counting the number of operations,” and “number of operations.” In addition to these data items, the operation information may also include information such as software version information, information for managing differences in component changes (if any), configured menu items, and mode settings. This allows the server 20 to more accurately manage the operating state of the device 10. Furthermore, the data items included in the operation information may be assigned priorities and transmission frequencies. The size of the transmitted data may be reduced by differentiating between items recorded every time data is transmitted, items recorded only once a week, and items recorded only when there is a change. In particular, when the communication module is powered by an internal battery rather than an external power source, it is useful to transmit only important data items to reduce power consumption.

[0113] Next, when the base station 30 sequentially receives the operation information, it sequentially transmits to the server 20, together with the sequentially received operation information, unique information that is information unique to the base station 30. Here, when the base station 30 transfers the operation information, the unique information transmitted together with the operation information is location information indicating the location where the base station 30 transmitting the unique information is installed, as shown in the bottom row of the table in FIG. 16. Furthermore, the unique information is not limited to location information, and may be an identifier that identifies the base station 30. In the following, location information will be used as an example of unique information.

[0114] Next, the configurations of the device 10 and the server 20 will be described.

[0115] FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing the configuration of device 10, which is an IoT home appliance.

[0116] As shown in FIG. 17, the device 10 includes a communication module 101, a control unit 104, a function module 107, a holding unit 108, a power supply unit 109, a battery 110, an operation unit 111, and a display unit 112.

[0117] The communication module 101 is connected to the server 20 that manages the device 10 via multiple different line networks. The communication module 101 is, for example, a communication module for performing long-distance wireless communication such as LPWA. The communication module 101 may include a communication module that performs at least one LPWA method among the three LPWA methods and Wi-Fi described with reference to FIG. 8. That is, the communication module 101 may include multiple communication modules that perform multiple LPWA methods, or multiple communication modules that perform LPWA and Wi-Fi. The communication module 101 includes a storage unit 102 that stores module IDs of the communication modules. If the communication module 101 includes multiple communication modules that use different communication methods, the storage unit 102 stores the module IDs of the multiple communication modules.

[0118] The control unit 104 generates operation information of the device 10 and transmits the generated operation information to the server 20 using the communication module 101. Specifically, the control unit 104 may generate the operation information including the power status by acquiring a power status indicating whether the power unit 109 of the device 10 is on or off, or may generate the operation information including the operation count by counting the number of times the device 10 has operated, or may generate the operation information including function information indicating the functions being performed by the function module 107. The operation information may include the various data items described in FIG. 16 . The control unit 104 may also cause the display unit 112 to display an image based on the information received from the server 20 via the communication module 101.

[0119] The functional module 107 is a module that performs the functions of the device 10 .

[0120] The storage unit 108 is a storage device that stores a unique ID for each device 10 .

[0121] The power supply unit 109 receives power from an external power source and supplies power to the components inside the device 10 .

[0122] The battery 110 is a battery that supplies power to the communication module 101 etc. The battery 110 may be a primary battery or a secondary battery.

[0123] The operation unit 111 is an input device that accepts user operations on the device 10. If the device 10 has a door or a shutter that opens and closes, such as a refrigerator, a microwave oven, or a rice cooker, the operation unit 111 may be the door or a shutter.

[0124] The display unit 112 is a display device that displays various information as images.

[0125] The configuration of the device 10 will be described in detail using a refrigerator as an example.

[0126] Even if connected to the Internet as an IoT device, refrigerator device 10 is used as a home appliance and is equipped with various modules for realizing the original functions of a home appliance. In the case of a refrigerator, such modules include a compressor for cooling the interior of the refrigerator, a lighting device for illuminating the interior when the door is opened, and a sensor for measuring the temperature or humidity inside the refrigerator. Such modules correspond to functional module 107. Furthermore, large home appliances such as refrigerators and air conditioners are generally configured to be connected to an external power source via power supply unit 109.

[0127] In addition, in recent home appliances, it is common for a control unit 104 using a microcomputer or processor to control various convenient functions. For example, in a refrigerator with an ice-making function, a sensor installed in a dedicated tray that stores the ice cubes determines whether to make more ice and performs operations such as making new ice. To perform these detailed operations, control is performed by a microcomputer or processor and the software executed thereon.

[0128] Furthermore, the device 10 has a display unit 112 for presenting various information to the user, or an operation unit 111 for the user to perform complex operations.

[0129] The display of conventional equipment was limited to multiple lamps or a few digits, and only showed the minimum necessary information such as abnormal conditions or whether power was on or off. Operation was also simple, with only a few buttons, such as issuing a quick-freeze command or resetting the device in the event of an abnormality.

[0130] In contrast, the device 10 is provided with a small touch panel display as the operation unit 111 and the display unit 112, and is capable of displaying more complex states and performing various settings.

[0131] The communication module 101 characterizes the device 10 as an IoT home appliance. The communication module 101 enables connection to the Internet via one or more of various communication methods, such as Wi-Fi or LTE. If multiple communication modules are installed, each communication module is assigned an independent communication module ID, which, depending on the communication method, serves as a communication identifier, similar to a telephone number in LTE. Connecting to the Internet allows various information collected by the control unit 104 to be sent to the server 20, or conversely, information required for controlling the device 10 can be obtained from the server 20. Furthermore, in recent years, a technology called LPWA has emerged that enables Internet connection with low power consumption, albeit at a slower communication speed. In LPWA, a battery 110 is installed inside the device 10 in addition to an external power source, enabling minimal communication even when the device is not connected to an external power source. In addition, since it may be necessary to specify and control a specific home appliance depending on the communication, a storage unit 108 that stores a unique ID for each device 10 may also be provided.

[0132] FIG. 18 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the server 20, which is an IoT home appliance control cloud.

[0133] As shown in FIG. 18, the server 20 includes a communication unit 201, a control unit 202, and a storage unit 203.

[0134] Communication unit 201 is connected to a network such as the Internet for communication, thereby sequentially receiving operation information and location information sequentially transmitted by device 10. Communication unit 201 also receives request information indicating a request for association between a first user ID and a first device ID, which is an identifier for identifying device 10, from user manipulation device 40 via the network. Communication unit 201 may also transmit a processing result of control unit 202 to device 10 via the network and base station 30.

[0135] The control unit 202 associates the operation information and the location information sequentially received by the communication unit 201 at corresponding timings and stores them sequentially in the storage unit 203. The control unit 202 also accepts a request indicated by request information received by the communication unit 201, and associates the first device ID with the first user ID in response to the accepted request and stores them in the storage unit 203. The control unit 202 may execute a predetermined program to cause the communication unit 201 to transmit a processing result using the operation information or the location information stored in the storage unit 203 to the device 10.

[0136] The control unit 202 is realized by a non-volatile memory that stores a predetermined program and a processor that executes the predetermined program. The control unit 202 may also be realized by a dedicated circuit that realizes the above functions.

[0137] The storage unit 203 stores the operation information and location information received by the communication unit 201. The storage unit 203 also stores a first device ID and a first user ID in association with each other. The storage unit 203 may store a correspondence relationship in which a device ID that identifies a device is associated with a user ID that identifies a user. The correspondence relationship is information indicating that a device identified by a device ID associated with a user ID in the correspondence relationship is owned by a user indicated by the user ID. The storage unit 203 may store a processing result by the control unit 202. The storage unit 203 is realized by, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD).

[0138] Next, a method for predicting the state of a home appliance, for example, predicting that a home appliance has been "installed in a general household," will be described.

[0139] 19 and 20 are graphs for explaining a method for detecting that the device 10 has been installed in a general home.

[0140] A relationship between the device 10 and the user is established only when the device 10 is purchased by the user and installed in a general household. In other words, the timing when the device 10 is installed in a general household can be considered as the start of the user's use, so it is very important to detect this timing.

[0141] There are several possible methods for detecting the timing when the device 10 is installed in a general home.

[0142] For example, when the device 10 is first powered on, the server 20 may determine that the device 10 is installed in a general household by confirming with the user. In this case, the device 10 may display a user interface (UI) on the display unit 112 to confirm to the user that the device 10 is installed in a general household, and may confirm whether the device 10 is installed in a general household by accepting input from the operation unit 111. In this case, the device 10 may be initially powered on at a retail electronics store. In this case, the server 20 may display a question such as "Do you want to start using the device?", and if the answer is "No," it may subsequently display a question such as "Are you using the device in-store?" and accept a response to the message, thereby distinguishing between in-store use and use at the user's general household. In addition, operation information such as the start date of use and the number of times the device is used may be accumulated from the time the user uses the device, and the information may be reset when the device is used in-store.

[0143] That is, the control unit 202 of the server 20 determines whether the first unique information received at a first timing and the second unique information received at a second timing following the first timing are different from each other among the multiple pieces of unique information received sequentially, and if the first unique information and the second unique information are different, manages the multiple pieces of first operation information received in a first period up to the first timing separately from the multiple pieces of second operation information received in a second period after the second timing. That is, the first period indicates the period before the device 10 is purchased by the user, and the second period indicates the period during which the device 10 is owned by the user after being sold to the user.

[0144] Specifically, the control unit 202 may store a plurality of pieces of first operation information in association with a first identifier, and store a plurality of pieces of second operation information in association with a second identifier different from the first identifier in the storage unit 203, thereby managing the plurality of pieces of first operation information and the plurality of pieces of second operation information separately. The first identifier is, for example, an identifier indicating that the device is not yet on sale and is located at a home appliance retail store or the like. The second identifier is an identifier indicating that the device is associated with a user who is using at least one device during a second period. For example, the second identifier is an identifier indicating that the device was purchased by a general household user and installed in the user's home. Note that the plurality of pieces of first operation information may be deleted from the storage unit 203 after it is detected that the user has started using the device.

[0145] The first identifier may be an identifier indicating that the item is owned by a first user, and the second identifier may be an identifier indicating that the item is owned by a second user different from the first user.

[0146] Furthermore, for example, server 20 may determine that device 10 has been installed in a general household when operation unit 111 of device 10 receives a specific usage operation from a user. Specifically, the specific usage operation may be determined to have been performed when water pouring is detected if device 10 is a washing machine, or when steam is detected after rice cooking has actually started if device 10 is a rice cooker. In this way, the specific usage operation is preferably an operation that is unlikely to be performed before the device is actually sold. Furthermore, in the case of a device that always requires installation work, such as an air conditioner, the specific usage operation may be determined to have been performed when it is detected that a construction company has performed some of the installation settings.

[0147] Furthermore, for example, the server 20 may use sequentially received location information to determine that the device 10 is installed in a general household if the device 10 is located outside the exclusion range, such as a home appliance retail store or distribution warehouse. Information indicating the exclusion range may be pre-stored in the storage unit 203 or acquired from an external device via the communication unit 201. While this determination method alone is insufficient in urban areas, it is desirable to use it because there are no false positives (where the device 10 is mistakenly determined to be installed in a general household). As shown in FIG. 21, the exclusion range is not limited to a predetermined range. If the device 10 has a communication module with a built-in battery, the exclusion range may be a location where many unpowered devices 10 gather. This allows the latest exclusion range to be constantly determined without incurring additional costs. FIG. 21 illustrates an example in which the exclusion range is determined using operation information and location information transmitted from multiple devices.

[0148] In the present embodiment, when the first unique information received at a first timing differs from the second unique information received at a second timing following the first timing, the server 20 separately manages the multiple pieces of first operation information received during a first period up to the first timing and the multiple pieces of second operation information received during a second period after the second timing. Therefore, the server 20 manages operation information based on the current device user's use, making it possible to determine the device state appropriate for the user's usage. In this way, device management can be performed by excluding operation information based on use by users other than the current user, thereby enabling more efficient device management.

[0149] Furthermore, the state of the device can be determined based on the operational information and unique information acquired during the second period while the user is using the device, separately from the operational information and unique information acquired during the first period, which allows for accurate determination of the state of the device.

[0150] Next, an example of processing performed in purchasing and installing a home appliance in the lifetime management of the device 10 will be described.

[0151] When the device 10 starts to be used in a general household, transmitting logs such as operation information from the device 10 may be problematic from the perspective of privacy protection. Although the logs of the device 10 are not considered personal information under Japanese law unless linked to the user's ID, the logs may still be unpleasant for the user. Therefore, when it is determined that the device 10 has started to be used in a general household, it is desirable for the device 10 to temporarily stop transmitting logs to the server 20. However, if the device 10 has a display unit 112 capable of displaying a message, the device 10 may explain that the logs will be transmitted to the server 20 and ask for consent, and if consent is obtained, the device 10 may continue to transmit the logs.

[0152] FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing the process for obtaining consent for log transmission when the device 10 is installed.

[0153] In this case, the device 10 is a device equipped with a communication module 101, and therefore does not need to be configured to connect to a network.

[0154] First, the device 10 is purchased and installed in the user's home (S1). At this time, since the device 10 is moved from the store to the user's home, different unique information is transmitted to the server 20.

[0155] As a result, the server 20 detects the use of the device 10 in a general home (S2) by the means described with reference to Figures 19 and 20. Note that the use of the device 10 in a general home may be detected by the device 10 receiving a specific usage operation, rather than by the server 20.

[0156] The server 20 inquires of the user whether or not the user agrees to the log transmission (S3). In this case, the server 20 transmits information for the inquiry to the device 10, and the device 10 receives the information and displays the information for the inquiry on the display unit 112. If the device 10 detects that the device 10 is being used in a general household, the device 10 may make the inquiry.

[0157] If consent is obtained by the operation unit 111 of the device 10 accepting the input (Yes in S3), the device 10 continues to send logs (S4). This allows the server 20 to detect a malfunction from data such as power consumption if the device 10 is a refrigerator, and temperature conditions in the area where the device is used. The server 20 can also similarly detect a malfunction from the transition of the charge amount in a lithium-ion battery and the transition of the amount of power generated by solar power generation. By collecting such information, it becomes possible to provide the user with functions such as notifying them when it is time to replace the device.

[0158] On the other hand, if consent is not obtained by the operation unit 111 of the device 10 accepting the input (No in S3), the device 10 stops sending the log (S5).

[0159] Even if the device 10 has temporarily stopped sending the log, the device 10 may resume sending the log if consent can be obtained from the user again when linking the device 10 with the user.

[0160] Even if consent to sending logs is not obtained, the server 20 may continue to store device information and send notifications and commands from the server 20 to the device 10. Such functions are intended to protect the safety of the user, such as by notifying the user of recall information or displaying an indicator prompting the user to update firmware in the event of a recall, and therefore may not be disabled.

[0161] FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure for using an IoT home appliance service.

[0162] First, after a user purchases device 10 at a home appliance retail store or the like, the user or the seller transports and installs device 10 to their home (S11). If device 10 is a large home appliance such as an air conditioner, installation work may be required. Since large home appliances generally operate on external power sources, they are powered by being connected to a home outlet and begin operating as home appliances.

[0163] Next, the device 10 is set for always-on connection (S12). With the currently widely used Wi-Fi technology, the device 10 may be set for always-on connection by connecting to a Wi-Fi access point in each home. To do this, it is necessary to set the name of the Wi-Fi access point and, if necessary, a password for encrypted communication. Note that when connecting to a carrier network such as LTE, this always-on connection setting is not necessary if the home appliance is set up in advance before shipping from the factory.

[0164] Once the constant connection setting is completed in this manner, the device 10 becomes able to transmit operation information to the server 20. For example, it is assumed that historical data such as a log of the operating status is transmitted to the server 20. However, due to security concerns, the user cannot yet operate the device 10 from outside at this point.

[0165] Next, the user creates a user account for operating the device 10 (S13). In a typical case, the user creates a user account by setting a user ID and password on the homepage of the IoT home appliance service, which is viewed in a web browser using the operating device.

[0166] The user then logs in using the created user account on the operation device (S14). The operation device is assumed to be a smartphone or tablet, but it is also assumed that a VPA (Virtual Private Assistant) device such as a smart speaker can also be used.

[0167] After the user logs in using the operation device in this way, the device 10 is associated with the user ID (S15). By performing this association, it becomes possible to operate the operation device from which the user logged in using the user's account.

[0168] After this, various services using IoT home appliances become available (S16). In recent years, there are cases where installation workers or service personnel visiting for repairs will assist with Wi-Fi settings and user account settings, or even enter them on your behalf.

[0169] As an example of various services using device 10, if a camera is installed in a refrigerator, a user can log in with a smartphone even when away from home and view images taken by the camera using an app compatible with IoT home appliances to check the food stored in the refrigerator. Note that since IoT home appliances can only be operated with a pre-linked user account, there is no need to worry about unrelated third parties peeking at footage from inside the refrigerator.

[0170] A device 10 in which the linking of a user account has not been completed cannot use various services, i.e., its functionality is restricted. Therefore, in order to provide the user with full functionality, it is possible to devise a method such as displaying a notification prompting the user to link the user account when the power is turned on.

[0171] Fig. 24 is a diagram for explaining a first example of a procedure for associating a device 10 with a user. Fig. 25 is a flowchart showing the first example of a procedure for associating a device 10 with a user.

[0172] In the first example, first, the user logs in by inputting a user ID and password into operation device 40 such as a smartphone (S21).

[0173] Next, the user uses operation device 40 to input the device code given to device 10, and device 10 transmits the input device code to server 20 (S22).

[0174] In this example, the device code is displayed on the device 10 itself. Note that instead of being displayed on the device 10, the device code may be written on an accessory to the device 10, such as a warranty card or instruction manual. To prevent input errors, the device code may be photographed with a camera provided on the smartphone, and character recognition may be performed on the smartphone itself or on the server side. The device code does not have to be a string of numbers or other characters, and may be a two-dimensional barcode or the like.

[0175] When the device 10 transmits the device code to the server 20, the server 20 notifies the device 10 specified by the device code. Note that the manufacturer of the device 10 needs to create a correspondence table between the device code and communication address information for communication via the communication module during factory settings. This allows the server 20 to identify the communication address corresponding to the specified device code and notify the device 10 by referring to the correspondence table stored in the storage unit 203 if the correspondence table is stored in the storage unit 203, or by acquiring the correspondence table from an external device and referring to the acquired correspondence table.

[0176] When the device 10 receives the notification from the server 20, the device 10 displays the notification on the display unit 112 provided in the device 10 (S23). For example, the device 10 may notify the user of the receipt of the notification by blinking a display lamp.

[0177] After this notification of reception, the user inputs information into the operation unit 111 of the device 10, and information indicating that the user has input information is transmitted to the server 20 (S24). As a result, the server 20 links the device ID with the user ID, thereby completing the linking of the device 10 with the user. The operation unit 111 may be, for example, an input button, and input may be made by pressing the button.

[0178] FIG. 26 is a sequence diagram showing a first example of a procedure for associating the device 10 with a user.

[0179] Manipulation device 40 accepts the input user ID and password and transmits the user ID and password to server 20 (S31). As a result, server 20 receives the user ID from manipulation device 40. Here, manipulation device 40 is an example of a first manipulation device. The user is an example of a first user, and the user ID is an example of a first user identifier. Server 20 checks whether the password is correct based on user information previously managed by server 20. If the password is incorrect, there is a possibility of impersonation by a third party, and the subsequent processing does not continue.

[0180] If the password is correct, server 20 transmits login information to manipulation device 40 (S32). The login information is, for example, an ID for identifying the session and key data to be used in subsequent communications.

[0181] Next, manipulation device 40 transmits the device code acquired by the method shown in Fig. 24 and Fig. 25 to server 20 (S33). As a result, server 20 receives the device code from manipulation device 40. Here, device 10 is an example of a first device. The device code is also an example of device-related information.

[0182] 24 and 25 show that the device code is sent as is, but in reality it is preferable to send the results of processing using login information. One possible processing method is to assign an ID to the device code to identify the session, and then encrypt it with the key data mentioned above. It is also preferable to protect the entire communication using encryption such as SSL.

[0183] By receiving the user ID and the device code, the server 20 accepts a request for associating the user ID with the device code. The server 20 also identifies the device 10 based on the acquired device code and transmits a control signal as a fourth inquiry to the identified device 10 via the network. The server 20 converts the device code into a communication address of the device 10 associated with the device code in the device information based on the device code and device information (i.e., the above-mentioned correspondence table) previously managed by the server 20. If the conversion to a communication address is successful, the server 20 transmits a control signal to the device 10 instructing the display unit 112 to blink (S34).

[0184] It should be noted that a mechanism is required to prevent spoofing by the server 20 regarding this blinking instruction control signal. If spoofing cannot be prevented, it will be possible for a malicious third party to link the user account of the device 10 with the device 10 by using a pseudo server. To prevent spoofing, it is desirable to, for example, store the public key of the server 20 in advance in the device 10, notify the blinking instruction from the server 20 after adding a time-varying element, and attach a signature using the private key of the server 20 to the entire signal.

[0185] When the device 10 receives the blink instruction, it blinks the display unit 112. If the user then inputs something to the operation unit 111, the device 10 transmits the received input to the server 20 (S35). That is, the device 10 transmits a fourth response to the fourth inquiry to the server 20.

[0186] When server 20 receives the input, it completes the association between the user account and device 10, and transmits a completion notification to manipulation device 40 (S36). That is, when server 20 receives the fourth response from device 10, server 20 stores the device ID and the user ID in association with each other in storage unit 203.

[0187] It is desirable that server 20 determine a period for waiting for input. This period should normally be about one minute. Server 20 starts counting after transmitting the blinking instruction control signal, and if no input is received after the period for waiting for input has elapsed, it may transmit a completion notification to manipulation device 40 indicating that the association has failed. In other words, if server 20 does not receive a fourth response even after a predetermined period has elapsed, server 20 does not associate the device ID with the user ID. Server 20 starts counting at the time the fourth inquiry is transmitted, and if the count reaches the predetermined period but no fourth response is received, server 20 terminates the process without associating the device ID with the user ID.

[0188] Manipulation device 40 displays the received completion notification.

[0189] FIG. 27 is a flowchart showing a second example of the procedure for associating the device 10 with a user.

[0190] In the second example, first, the user logs in by inputting a user ID and password into an operation device 40 such as a smartphone (S41), and waits in the logged-in state, and then the user presses the setting button on the device 10 (S42).

[0191] When the setting button is pressed, the device 10 requests the server 20 for a password for linking the device 10 with the user account. At this time, it is desirable that the server 20 issues a one-time password or a time-limited password. The device 10 then receives the password from the server 20 and displays it on the display unit 112 (S43).

[0192] The user inputs the password displayed on display unit 112 into manipulation device 40, and manipulation device 40 transmits the input password to server 20 (S44). In this example, the password is illustrated as a character string such as numbers, but it may also be a two-dimensional barcode, an LED blinking pattern, sound data such as Morse code, or the like. In the case of a two-dimensional barcode or an LED blinking pattern, the password is input by reading it using the camera of manipulation device 40. In the case of sound data such as Morse code, the password is input by picking up the sound with the microphone of manipulation device 40.

[0193] When server 20 receives the password from manipulation device 40, it links device 10 that has requested the linking with the user account that has sent the password (S45), and transmits a notification to device 10 indicating that the linking has been completed.

[0194] When the device 10 receives the notification of the completion of the association from the server 20, the device 10 displays the notification on the display unit 112 provided in the device 10 (S46). For example, the device 10 may notify the user of the receipt of the notification by blinking a display lamp.

[0195] FIG. 28 is a sequence diagram showing a second example of the procedure for associating the device 10 with a user.

[0196] Manipulation device 40 accepts the input user ID and password and transmits the user ID and password to server 20 (S51). As a result, server 20 receives the user ID from manipulation device 40. Here, manipulation device 40 is an example of a first manipulation device. The user is an example of a first user, and the user ID is an example of a first user identifier. Server 20 checks whether the password is correct based on user information previously managed by server 20. If the password is incorrect, there is a possibility of impersonation by a third party, and subsequent processing does not continue.

[0197] If the password is correct, server 20 transmits login information to manipulation device 40 (S52). The login information is, for example, an ID for identifying the session and key data to be used in subsequent communications.

[0198] Next, upon receiving input from the user, the device 10 requests the server 20 to issue a one-time password (S53). When making this request, the device 10 also transmits its own device ID to the server 20. Here, the device 10 is an example of a first device. The device ID is also an example of device-related information. The device ID is also referred to as a device identifier. The server 20 may acquire the corresponding device ID from device information previously managed by the server 20, based on address information of the device 10 at the time of communication. In this case, the address information is an example of device-related information.

[0199] By receiving the user ID and device ID, the server 20 accepts a request to associate the user ID with the device code. In response to the request for the one-time password, the server 20 transmits the one-time password to the device 10 (S54). The communication address of the device 10 is identified using a method similar to that of step S34 in the first example described above. The one-time password transmitted here is an example of a fourth inquiry. The issued one-time password is displayed on the display unit 112 of the device 10.

[0200] Operation device 40 accepts input of the one-time password displayed on display unit 112 from the user, and transmits the input one-time password to server 20 (S55). That is, device 10 transmits the one-time password as a fourth response to the fourth inquiry to server 20.

[0201] Although Figure 28 shows that the one-time password is sent as is, it is preferable to actually send the result of processing using login information. One possible processing method is to assign an ID to the device code to identify the session, rather than just the device code, and then encrypt it with the key data mentioned above. It is also preferable to protect the entire communication using encryption such as SSL.

[0202] Server 20 checks whether the one-time password received from manipulation device 40 matches a one-time password issued in advance, and when a match is confirmed, associates the user account with the device ID. That is, when server 20 receives a fourth response from device 10, server 20 associates the device ID with the user ID and stores them in storage unit 203. Server 20 transmits a notification of completion of the association to manipulation device 40 (S56).

[0203] It is desirable that server 20 determine a period for waiting for input. This period should normally be about one minute. Server 20 starts counting after transmitting the one-time password, and if no input is received after the period for waiting for input has elapsed, it may transmit a completion notification to manipulation device 40 indicating that the association has failed. In other words, if server 20 does not receive a fourth response after a predetermined period has elapsed, it does not associate the device ID with the user ID. Server 20 starts counting at the time the fourth inquiry is transmitted, and if the fourth response is not received even after the count reaches the predetermined period, it terminates the process without associating the device ID with the user ID.

[0204] Manipulation device 40 displays the received completion notification.

[0205] In this way, the user ID and the device ID can be associated with a combination desired by the user, so that the device and the user can be associated with each other with high accuracy. Also, the device can receive the fourth inquiry via the LPWA base station 30.

[0206] As described above, the user ID and the device ID are associated and stored in the memory unit 203 of the server 20, so that the memory unit 203 stores a correspondence relationship in which multiple device IDs are associated with each of multiple user IDs.

[0207] Next, a method for linking a plurality of devices with a plurality of users will be described.

[0208] FIG. 29 is a diagram illustrating a first scene of an example of a method for linking a plurality of devices with a plurality of users.

[0209] Here, an example is shown in which a total of four IoT home appliances consisting of two air conditioners 11 and 13, one refrigerator 12, and one television 14 are installed in one home. The two air conditioners 11 and 13 are installed in the living room and the children's room, respectively. The air conditioners 11 and 13, the refrigerator 12, and the television 14 are each an example of a device 10. In other words, although not shown, the air conditioners 11 and 13, the refrigerator 12, and the television 14 are each communicatively connected to a base station 30 via LPWA.

[0210] Furthermore, this household is a four-person family consisting of a father, a mother, an older brother, and a younger sister, and the father and mother each have a user account (user ID) for operating the air conditioners 11 and 13, the refrigerator 12, and the television 14. Here, the father is an example of a second user, and the mother is an example of a first user. The user accounts are user accounts on the IoT home appliance control cloud realized by the server 20.

[0211] As already mentioned, even before the device 10 is linked to a user account, the device 10 takes advantage of its always-on connectivity to transmit an operation log or an operation log of the home appliance to the server 20 via the base station 30. On the other hand, when a user intends to operate the device 10 using an operation device such as a smartphone or a VPA, it is essential to link the device 10 to a user account.

[0212] For example, in the example of FIG. 29 , it is assumed that an app running on the father's smartphone 41 has already been logged in with a user account named dad@panasonic.com and associated with the air conditioner 11 in the living room. That is, the correspondence stored in the server 20 associates the user account named dad@panasonic.com with the device ID of the air conditioner 11. The correspondence stored in the server 20 may also associate the user account, the device ID of the device to be operated, and the device ID of the control device used to log in to the IoT home appliance control cloud. That is, the correspondence may associate dad@panasonic.com with the device ID of the air conditioner 11 and the device ID of the smartphone 41. This allows the father to control the air conditioner 11 using his smartphone 41. Note that dad@panasonic.com is an example of a second user ID. The air conditioner 11 is an example of a first device, and the device ID of the air conditioner 11 is an example of a first device ID. The smartphone 41 is an example of a second control device.

[0213] Also, it is assumed that the mother has logged in to an app running on her smartphone 42 using the user account mom@panasonic.com and has already associated the app with the refrigerator 12. That is, the correspondence stored in the server 20 associates the user account mom@panasonic.com with the device ID of the refrigerator 12. Note that the correspondence may also associate mom@panasonic.com with the device ID of the refrigerator 12 and the device ID of the smartphone 42. This allows the mother to operate the refrigerator 12 using her smartphone 42. Note that mom@panasonic.com is an example of a first user ID. The refrigerator 12 is an example of a second device, and the device ID of the refrigerator 12 is an example of a second device ID. The smartphone 42 is an example of a first operation device.

[0214] Furthermore, in this example, a VPA 43 is installed in the home, and this VPA is logged in using dad@panasonic.com, which is the father's user account. Assume that the VPA 43 has already been linked to the air conditioner 13 and television 14 in the child's room. Note that the correspondence may be such that dad@panasonic.com, the device IDs of the air conditioner 13 and television 14, and the device ID of the smartphone 41 are associated with each other. This allows the user to operate the air conditioner 13 and television 14 in the child's room using the VPA 43. Note that the VPA 43 is generally often shared by family members. In this case, an older brother or sister, although not having their own smartphone or user account, can operate the air conditioner 13 or television 14 in the child's room using the VPA 43.

[0215] 30 is a diagram illustrating a second example of the method for linking a plurality of devices with a plurality of users. The second example is a case in which a plurality of operating devices are linked to a device via a plurality of identical user accounts.

[0216] 29, a user account named dad@panasonic.com owned by a father is used on multiple control devices such as a smartphone 41 and a VPA 43. Through this user account, control devices that are not explicitly linked to each other may be linked to IoT home appliances.

[0217] 30, the relationship between the operation devices and IoT home appliances that are indirectly linked through the same user account is indicated by dotted lines. In this example, the father may use his smartphone 41 to allow operation of the air conditioner 11 in the living room, which is explicitly linked in the correspondence stored in the server 20, as well as the air conditioner 13 and television 14 in the children's room, which are indirectly linked through the same user account.

[0218] The server 20 also manages the two air conditioners 11, 13 and the television 14 by linking them with the same user account, dad@panasonic.com. This allows the two air conditioners 11, 13 to share setting information such as temperature settings when air conditioning a room. It also makes it possible to appropriately control the operating state of the air conditioner 11 installed in the same room as the television 14, depending on the viewing state of the television 14.

[0219] 31 is a diagram illustrating a third example of a method for linking multiple devices with multiple users. The third example is a case in which user accounts are linked via devices.

[0220] 31, it is assumed that the server 20 has received an operation to link the air conditioner 11 in the living room to the mother's user account mom@panasonic.com using an app running on the mother's smartphone 42. In this case, it is assumed that the mother has used the smartphone 42 to perform the above-described steps of linking the device 10 with the user using FIGS.

[0221] At this time, the father's user account, dad@panasonic.com, is already linked to air conditioner 11, and the fact that multiple user accounts are linked to the same air conditioner 11 makes it highly likely that the users who own these multiple user accounts are family members.

[0222] Therefore, in this case, the server 20 may link the devices linked by the father's user account with the devices linked by the mother's user account, and store the linking result as a correspondence relationship in the storage unit 203. Similarly, the server 20 may link the devices linked by the father's user account with the mother's user account, and store the linking result as a correspondence relationship in the storage unit 203. That is, when, in the correspondence relationship stored in the storage unit 203, (i) a first device ID is associated with a second user ID that is different from the first user ID, and (ii) the first user ID is associated with a second device ID that identifies a second device of multiple devices that is different from the first device, the server 20 associates the second identifier with the second user ID and stores the second identifier in the storage unit 203. In this way, the server 20 updates the correspondence relationship.

[0223] An example of the linking process that is performed when a case is detected in which different user accounts are linked to the same device ID will be described below with reference to FIGS. 32 and 33. FIG.

[0224] Fig. 32 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the association process performed when different user accounts are associated with the same device ID. Fig. 33 is a diagram showing an example of information indicating a notification to the operating device in the association process performed when different user accounts are associated with the same device ID.

[0225] As shown in FIG. 32, first, the server 20 detects association with the same device (S61). For example, as described above, when the mother operates the smartphone 42, a request for association between the device ID of the air conditioner 11 and the mother's user account is sent by the smartphone 42. Upon receiving this request, the server 20 determines whether there is another user account associated with the device ID of the air conditioner 11 in the correspondence relationship. If there is another user account, the server 20 detects association with the same device. On the other hand, if there is no other user account, the server 20 associates the device ID of the air conditioner 11 with the mother's user account and ends this process.

[0226] After step S61, the server 20 notifies the smartphone 42 of the detection result (S62). Here, the detection result transmitted by the server 20 includes a first inquiry to confirm whether or not the father, who is a user identified by dad@panasonic.com in the correspondence relationship, is a family member of the mother, who is a user identified by mom@panasonic.com.

[0227] When the smartphone 42 receives the detection result from the server 20, it displays a screen 421 notifying the user that it has detected association with the same device, as shown in Fig. 32. This notifies the user that it has been detected that another user account has already been associated with the device that the smartphone 42 attempted to associate with its user account.

[0228] Next, the smartphone 42 displays a screen 422 showing a first inquiry based on the detection result received from the server 20 (S63). This allows the user to confirm whether the user (i.e., the father) indicated by the other user account detected in step S61 is a family member of the mother. In this case, since linking is performed with devices installed in the home, it is unlikely, in principle, that an unrelated third party will be displayed on the screen 422 as a user whose family member status is confirmed.

[0229] Next, the smartphone 42 accepts input to the screen 422 indicating the first inquiry (S64) and transmits the accepted input result to the server 20 (S65). The input result indicates a first response to the first inquiry. After transmitting the input result to the server 20, the smartphone 42 displays a screen 423 indicating that transmission of a notification as the input result to the smartphone 41 via the server 20 has been completed (S66).

[0230] When the server 20 receives the input result transmitted in step S65, if the input result includes a response indicating that the mother has acknowledged that the father is a family member of the mother, the server 20 transmits the input result to the smartphone 41 associated with the father's user account (S67). The server 20 transmits the input result as a notification indicating that the device ID of the air conditioner 11 is associated with the mother's user account. The notification may include a second inquiry to confirm with the father whether the mother is a family member of the father.

[0231] The smartphone 41 displays a screen 411 showing the second inquiry based on the notification received from the server 20 (S68). The screen 411 may be displayed the next time the app is started, or may be displayed using a push-type mechanism such as an email or a notification.

[0232] Next, the smartphone 41 accepts an input to the screen 411 showing the second inquiry (S69), and transmits the accepted input result to the server 20 (S70).

[0233] When the server 20 receives the input result sent in step S70, if the input result includes a response indicating that the father has acknowledged that the mother is a member of the father's family, the server 20 stores the device ID of the air conditioner 11 in association with the mother's user account (S71).

[0234] If the input result received in step S65 includes a response indicating that the mother did not approve of the father being a family member of the mother, the server 20 may not associate the device ID of the air conditioner 11 with the mother's user account in step S71. For example, if a response indicating that the father is not a family member is received in step S65, the server 20 may stop the process in this example. In this case, the server 20 may actively cancel the association rather than stopping the process. This is a measure to deal with cases where an IoT home appliance is transferred or where an association operation is performed accidentally or maliciously when an acquaintance visits. The simplest approach is to give the user who first established the association the right to cancel the association. However, this approach does not support transfers. Therefore, for example, an operation to forcibly cancel the association may be accepted via the operation unit of the IoT home appliance. In this way, the device ID and the user account are associated in accordance with the first response, which is the result of the first inquiry, thereby preventing undesirable association requests from being accepted.

[0235] Furthermore, if the input result received in step S70 includes a response indicating that the father has not acknowledged that the mother is a family member of the father, the server 20 may not associate the air conditioner 11 with the mother's user account in step S71. For example, if a response indicating that the mother is not a family member is received in step S70, the server 20 may stop processing in this example. In this way, the server 20 associates the device ID with the user account in accordance with the second response, which is the result of the second inquiry, and therefore can avoid accepting undesirable association requests.

[0236] Alternatively, the father and mother may be unconditionally treated as family members without making an inquiry as to whether they are family members or not. In other words, the father and mother may be unconditionally considered to be family members without making the first inquiry or the second inquiry, and the air conditioner 11 may be linked to the mother's user account.

[0237] Also, if the answer to the question about family is NO, the IoT home appliance may not be allowed to link with the user account that is the linking source.

[0238] 34 is a diagram illustrating a fourth example of the method for linking multiple devices with multiple users. The fourth example is another example in which user accounts are linked via devices.

[0239] In the sequence diagram shown in Fig. 32, if the father's user account and the mother's user account are recognized as family members, all IoT home appliances in the home can be linked to all user accounts, as shown in Fig. 33. That is, the air conditioners 11 and 13, the refrigerator 12, and the television 14 can be linked to the father's user account dad@panasonic.com and the mother's user account mom@panasonic.com.

[0240] Therefore, if the input result received in step S65 includes a response indicating that the mother has acknowledged that the father is a family member of the mother, and if the input result sent in step S70 includes a response indicating that the father has acknowledged that the mother is a family member of the father, the server 20 may associate the device ID of the refrigerator 12 with the user account of the father. In this way, when a request to associate the device ID of the air conditioner 11 with the user account of the mother is received, the server 20 uses the stored correspondence to associate the device ID of the refrigerator 12 with the user account of the father and stores them. This allows for efficient association between users and devices.

[0241] If the input result received in step S65 includes a response indicating that the mother has acknowledged that the father is a family member of the mother, the server 20 may link the device ID of the refrigerator 12 with the father's user account. Alternatively, the server 20 may unconditionally determine that the father and mother are a family member without making the first inquiry or the second inquiry, and link the device ID of the refrigerator 12 with the father's user account.

[0242] Furthermore, when server 20 receives a request to associate mother's user account with the device ID of air conditioner 11 in the living room, the device ID of air conditioner 11 is already associated with father's user account, and father's user account is further associated with the device ID of air conditioner 13 and the device ID of television 14. Therefore, server 20 may store the association between mother's user account and the device ID of air conditioner 13 and the device ID of television 14. This allows for more efficient association between users and devices.

[0243] As a result, the device ID of each device is associated with each user account, as shown by the dashed lines in FIG.

[0244] FIG. 35 is a diagram for explaining another example of a method for linking a plurality of devices with a plurality of users.

[0245] In the example shown in Figure 35, the father has multiple user accounts. This type of case can occur when there are IoT home appliances from multiple manufacturers in the home, and each manufacturer manages and operates a different user account system. However, from the user's perspective, it is preferable for IoT home appliances to work together even if they are from different manufacturers, so this case is based on the premise that the manufacturers will work together. In addition to the example of different manufacturers, this case can also occur when, even if the home appliance is from the same manufacturer, the user forgets the user account or password they had created when they buy a new smartphone, and sets up a new user account or password.

[0246] 35, the air conditioner 13 or television 14 in the child's room is a product of a different manufacturer from the air conditioner 11 or refrigerator 12 in the living room, and has been set up with a user account of the different manufacturer. In this case, the father's user account (dad@panasonic.com) for operating the air conditioner 11 in the living room and the father's user account (dad@matsushita.com) for operating the air conditioner 13 in the child's room are different user accounts, and therefore, for the time being, they are treated as different people.

[0247] From this state, the user association sequence via the IoT home appliance begins when an association operation indicated by a thick dotted line in FIG. 35 is performed. That is, the sequence for associating the device and the user described in FIGS. 24 to 34 begins. In principle, the sequence here is the same as that shown in FIGS. 32 and 33. For example, before the inquiry "Are you a family member?" on screen 422, server 20 may send a third inquiry, "Are you the same person?" to the VPA 43 currently operated by the user to confirm whether the user identified by the other user account is the same person. When making an inquiry to the VPA 43, the VPA 43 makes an inquiry to the user by voice and obtains a voice response from the user. In this way, if the user accounts are different, it is impossible to determine whether the users are family members or the same person. Therefore, the third inquiry is made to the user, and by obtaining a response from the user, it is determined whether the different user accounts are user accounts of a family member or user accounts of the same person. Here, if the received response indicates that it is confirmed that the users are the same person, the different user accounts are associated and stored as the same person. From an operational standpoint, there is not much difference between whether they are family members or the same person, but by making a distinction between family members and the same person, for example, information obtained from devices associated with user accounts belonging to the same person can be used to control the devices in a way that is optimal for each individual user.

[0248] The first inquiry may be an inquiry to confirm whether the second user is a member of the first user group to which the first user belongs, and does not have to be an inquiry to confirm whether the second user is a family member of the first user. In other words, the first response includes a response indicating that the second user has been approved as a member of the first user group or has not been approved.

[0249] Similarly, the second inquiry may be an inquiry to confirm whether the first user is a member of the second user group to which the second user belongs, and does not have to be an inquiry to confirm whether the first user is a family member of the second user. In other words, the second response includes a response indicating that the first user has been approved or not approved as a member of the second user group.

[0250] An example of a non-family member of the first user group is a member of a shared house. Similarly, an example of a non-family member of the second user group is a member of a shared house.

[0251] In this way, the "mother's family" in the above description can be interpreted as the members of the first user group to which the first user belongs, and the "father's family" can be interpreted as the members of the second user group to which the second user belongs.

[0252] Furthermore, if the second user is recognized as a member of the first user group and the first user is recognized as a member of the second user group, the first user group and the second user group are considered to be the same user group.

[0253] Next, a method of determining an event when the installation location of the device 10 is moved or the user is changed, among the state predictions of the device 10, will be described.

[0254] FIG. 36 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for determining whether the property is a "moving" or a "transfer."

[0255] It is conceivable that the device 10 may be transferred to another user after being purchased. In particular, a problem may arise if the device 10 is transferred to another user after the user and the device 10 have been linked. If no countermeasures are taken, the previous user may be able to view the log of the device 10 or operate the device 10 even after the device 10 has been transferred. On the other hand, this problem can be solved by resetting the device 10, for example, to release the link between the user and the device. However, because such an operation for releasing the link is not necessary for conventional home appliances, it is doubtful whether the user who receives the device will be able to correctly reset the device.

[0256] Therefore, it is desirable for the server 20 to determine whether the device 10 has been transferred using the operation information and location information received from the IoT home appliance. When transferring, it is usually assumed that the power to the home appliance is cut off, then the appliance is moved to another location, and then it is used again. The server 20 can check the power status of the IoT home appliance using the operation information, and can also identify that the installation location has been changed using the location information described above. By combining these two, the server 20 can determine the possibility that the device 10 has been transferred.

[0257] For example, the server 20 uses the operation information and the location information to detect that the device 10 has been powered off and that the installation location of the device 10 has moved (S81). The server 20 can determine whether the device 10 has been powered off by determining whether the power status of the operation information is off, for example. Furthermore, the server 20 can detect that the installation location of the device 10 has moved if the location information has changed from the previous location information.

[0258] However, this alone does not allow for determining whether the user has changed but only the address has changed, i.e., whether the user has moved or the property has been transferred. Therefore, if the device has a display, the display may display a message asking the user whether the linking needs to be changed.

[0259] That is, the server 20 determines whether the device 10 has a display unit (S82). The server 20 may determine whether the device 10 has a display unit by referring to the information of the device 10, or may determine whether the device 10 has a display unit based on the operation information if the operation information includes information on whether the device 10 has a display unit.

[0260] If the device does not have a display unit (No in S82), the association between the user and the device is temporarily suspended for safety reasons (S83). Then, the server 20 sends a message to the smartphone or other operating device that performed the association to confirm whether it is a "transfer" or a "move" to inquire of the user whether it is a "transfer" or a "move" (S84). If the inquiry confirms that it is a "move," the suspended state is released, and the association between the user and the device 10 is maintained (S85). Conversely, if the inquiry confirms that it is a "transfer," the association is released (S86).

[0261] If the device has a display unit (Yes in S82), the display unit is used to make the inquiry (S87). If the inquiry confirms that the request is a "move," the hold state is released and the association between the user and the device 10 is maintained (S88). Conversely, if the inquiry confirms that the request is a "transfer," the association is released (S89).

[0262] In this way, the user who receives the transfer can appropriately perform the reset operation by canceling the association. Conversely, if the user remains the same and only the address has changed, the server 20 can determine that there is no need to change the association, and the user can continue to use the device 10 as before.

[0263] As described above, when the third unique information received at the third timing after the second timing is different from the second unique information, the control unit 202 may determine that the device 10 that transmitted the third unique information has moved, and may transmit an inquiry as to whether the user of the device 10 has been changed to another user to the device 10 or a terminal such as a smartphone owned by the user, using the communication unit 201. The third timing corresponds to the timing of detection in step S81.

[0264] If, after sending the inquiry, a response to the inquiry received from the device 10 or the terminal indicates that the user of the device 10 has been changed to another user, the control unit 202 manages the plurality of pieces of third operation information received during a third period after the third timing separately from the plurality of pieces of first operation information and the plurality of pieces of second operation information. Specifically, the control unit 202 associates the plurality of pieces of third operation information with a third identifier different from the first identifier and the second identifier, and stores the third identifier in the storage unit 203, thereby managing the plurality of pieces of third operation information separately from the plurality of pieces of first operation information and the plurality of pieces of second operation information. This makes it possible to effectively determine whether the device 10 has been transferred. Furthermore, when the device 10 has been transferred, the third operation information is managed separately from the operation information of the user before the transfer, making it possible to determine the state of the device 10 suitable for the new user.

[0265] On the other hand, if the response to the inquiry received from the device 10 or the terminal after sending the inquiry indicates that the user of the device 10 has not been changed to another user, the control unit 202 manages the plurality of pieces of third operation information received in a third period after the third timing, together with the plurality of pieces of second operation information. Specifically, the control unit 202 associates the plurality of pieces of third operation information with the second identifier and stores them in the storage unit 203. Therefore, for example, if the device 10 is moved without being transferred, the device 10 can be managed without changing the user.

[0266] Fig. 37 is a diagram for explaining another example of the process for determining whether the property has been moved or transferred. Fig. 38 is a flowchart showing another example of the process for determining whether the property has been moved or transferred.

[0267] As a method for distinguishing between a move and a transfer, in addition to the aforementioned power cut and detection of a change in installation location, other information may be combined to more accurately determine whether a home appliance has been transferred or moved. FIG. 37 shows an example of location information when multiple devices (device A and device B) move simultaneously at time T1. When multiple devices move simultaneously like this, it is considered that a move has occurred. For this reason, the accuracy of the determination can be improved by linking the location information of multiple devices owned by a user. For example, if the locations of a user's refrigerator, washing machine, air conditioner, etc. are changed at the same time, there is a high probability that the device has moved, but if only the washing machine has been changed, it is unlikely that the device has moved.

[0268] In this case, the server 20 detects the power cutoff and the change of the installation location based on the operation information and the location information (S91).

[0269] Next, the server 20 determines whether or not there are multiple devices that have moved locations in conjunction with each other (S92). That is, the server 20 determines whether or not there are multiple devices that have moved from a first location to a second location.

[0270] When the server 20 determines that there are multiple devices that have moved location in conjunction with each other (Yes in S92), it determines that there is a high possibility that they have moved (S93).

[0271] If the server 20 determines that there are not multiple devices that have moved in conjunction with one another (No in S92), that is, if there is only one device that has moved, it determines that there is a high possibility of transfer (S94).

[0272] In this way, if the plurality of pieces of second unique information received from the plurality of devices 10 at the second timing before time T1 are identical to each other, and the plurality of pieces of third unique information received from the plurality of devices at the third timing after time T1 after the second timing are identical to each other, and the second unique information and the third unique information are different from each other, the control unit 202 may manage the plurality of pieces of third operation information received in the third period after the third timing together with the plurality of pieces of second operation information. Therefore, when the plurality of devices have been moved, the devices can be managed assuming that the user has not changed.

[0273] Fig. 39 is a diagram for explaining another example of the process for determining whether the property has been moved or transferred. Fig. 40 is a flowchart showing another example of the process for determining whether the property has been moved or transferred.

[0274] The server 20 may determine whether the device has been moved or transferred by detecting the power cut and the change of installation location, as well as by using the information on the number of times the device has been operated each day. This can improve the accuracy of the determination.

[0275] 39, the location information has changed, but there is little change in the pattern of the operation count. In this way, even if the location information has changed, if the pattern of change in the operation count per unit time in the period before the location information changed and the period after the location information changed satisfies a predetermined correlation (i.e., is similar), the server 20 may determine that there is a high possibility of moving.

[0276] In this case, the processing by the server 20 is different from the processing in Fig. 38 in that step S102 is performed instead of step S92, as shown in Fig. 40. The processing in steps S101, S103, and S104 is the same as the processing in steps S91, S93, and S94, respectively.

[0277] In step S102, the server 20 determines whether the usage frequency has changed. As described above, whether the usage frequency has changed is determined by determining whether the pattern of change in the number of times of operation satisfies a predetermined correlation.

[0278] As shown in Figure 39, if the number of times the appliance is used each day changes, it is highly likely that the person using the appliance is different, making it even more likely that it has been "transferred." Conversely, if the number of times the appliance is used each day does not change, the frequency of use has not changed, so it can be considered a "move" by the same person using it in a different location. However, this determination method cannot be applied directly to appliances that are carried around when out and about, such as shavers and hair dryers.

[0279] Fig. 41 is a diagram for explaining exceptions to the case where "moving" is expected. Fig. 42 is a table categorized according to the type of device.

[0280] As described above, a change in the location information of device 10 can be used to determine whether the device has been moved or transferred. However, in the case of a small device that is carried and used while out and about, even if the location information has changed, the device may simply be used while out and about. In other words, even if server 20 detects a change in location information, it may not indicate a move or transfer. For example, as shown in FIG. 41, a small home appliance such as a shaver or hair dryer that is expected to be carried around will change location when carried by the user. In this case, it is expected that the user will return to their original home. Therefore, by detecting that the device has returned to its original location, server 20 can determine that the device has not been moved or transferred and is still being used by the user. In other words, in this case, server 20 maintains the association between the user and the device.

[0281] In this way, by changing the influence level when determining whether a move has occurred, it is possible to improve the accuracy of the determination for large home appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines that are generally not turned off in daily life, and small home appliances such as shavers and hair dryers that are expected to be carried outside the home. As shown in Fig. 42, appliances may be classified into multiple categories depending on their size, seasonal use, etc., and the server 20 may change the determination of the appliance status depending on the characteristics of these categories.

[0282] Next, among the state predictions of the device 10, a case where the device 10 is predicted to be "transferred, resold, or stolen" will be described.

[0283] FIG. 43 is a diagram showing a graph of predicted cases in which the device 10 is "transferred, resold, or stolen."

[0284] As shown in Figure 43, if the location of the device 10 has changed and the pattern of the number of times it has been operated has also changed significantly, it is predicted that the user of the device 10 has changed. Therefore, the server 20 predicts that "transfer, resale, or theft" has occurred. This enables the server 20 to provide a service that displays a notification prompting confirmation or a warning on an LED / display or the like on the device 10. Furthermore, if the account information before the user change remains linked, the server 20 notifies the user by email or the like and urges them to unlink the account information.

[0285] Once a user and a device are linked, if that link is later removed, it is undesirable from a management perspective to be able to view past user logs from that device. While the logs that can be viewed should be limited to those linked to the user, there may be cases where it is better to communicate information related to the user's safety, such as the device's useful life or the number of times it has been used, to ensure safe use of home appliances. With this in mind, it is useful to manage the cumulative information from the first use of the device to the present separately from the user's usage logs on the server. Alternatively, this can be achieved by managing the period of time that the cumulative information was linked to the user.

[0286] The cumulative information linked to home appliances can also be used to make it possible to refer to devices that have been on display at retail stores when they are sold or resold.

[0287] Next, a countermeasure function for when the device 10 is stolen in the state prediction of the device 10 will be described.

[0288] FIG. 44 is a flowchart of a process for taking measures when the device 10 is stolen.

[0289] If the device 10 is stolen, it is desirable to provide a function that allows a user to lock the device 10 linked to his / her user account so that other users cannot use the device 10. Specifically, this function is a function that sends a command to lock the stolen device 10 from an operation device 40, such as a linked smartphone, to the stolen device 10. This function makes it possible to prevent a user who has obtained the device 10 illegally through theft from using the device 10 and to prevent an unauthorized user from viewing past logs.

[0290] First, the server 20 detects that the device 10 is suspected of being "theft" based on information such as location information and operating status transmitted by the device 10 (S111).

[0291] If the user is aware of this, the process proceeds to step S115, and if the user is not aware of this, the process proceeds to step S113. In step S112, it is determined whether or not information indicating that the lock button on the operating device in step S115 has been pressed has been received from operating device 40 of the user before a predetermined period of time has elapsed after step S111. As a result, if the lock button has not been pressed even after the predetermined period of time has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S113.

[0292] In step S113, server 20 queries the user's operation device 40 for the user account linked to device 10 to see if device 10 has been stolen (S114). With this function, even if the user is unaware that device 10 has been stolen, the user can become aware of the theft by receiving a message such as "Is it at home?" or "Do you have it with you?" from the home appliance to operation device 40.

[0293] When server 20 receives the input of theft from manipulation device 40 in step S114, the process proceeds to step S115. In this case, it may be considered that the lock button in step S115 is pressed when the input of theft is made.

[0294] In step S115, when the lock button is pressed, the device 10 is locked. In this way, by locking the home appliance using the function for locking the device 10, unauthorized use can be prevented.

[0295] If an input indicating that the device is not theft is received from manipulation device 40 in step S114, this process ends.

[0296] Next, let's consider unlocking a home appliance that has been locked. If the home appliance itself could unlock the device, it would be impossible to prevent unauthorized use, so a function is needed to send a confirmation of unlocking to the associated user account. However, there is a possibility that a user might abuse this function and resell the appliance while it is linked to a user account, then lock it after resale. Therefore, it is necessary to set up a contact point for unlocking at the manufacturer. The manufacturer will contact the user who has the user account linked to the home appliance that they received the notification about, and decide whether or not to unlock it.

[0297] To realize the anti-theft function, it is necessary to be able to communicate with the cloud using a communication module. Therefore, in the event of theft, it is conceivable that the communication module will be removed before the home appliance is carried away. As a countermeasure against this, it is effective to always lock the home appliance when the communication module is removed.

[0298] In this way, if the third unique information received at the third timing after the second timing is different from the second unique information, the control unit 202 may determine that the device 10 has moved and may send an inquiry as to whether the device 10 has been stolen to the terminal owned by the user using the communication unit 201. Next, if the response to the inquiry received from the terminal after sending the inquiry indicates that the device 10 has been stolen, the control unit 202 may send a control signal using the communication unit 201 to lock the device 10 so that it cannot be used. In this case, upon receiving the control signal, the device 10 may lock the device 10 so that it cannot be used. Therefore, if the device 10 is stolen, it can be locked so that other users cannot use the device 10.

[0299] Here, locking the device 10 so that it cannot be used specifically means that the device 10 is put into a state in which it does not accept user input from the operation unit 111. For example, the device 10 may be turned off and then put into a state in which it does not accept user input from the operation unit 111. Furthermore, if the device 10 is a device with a door that opens and closes, such as a refrigerator, washing machine, microwave oven, or rice cooker, the door may be locked so that it cannot be opened.

[0300] Next, a description will be given of how to determine whether the device 10 has been moved or transferred using multiple pieces of information in predicting the state of the device 10.

[0301] FIG. 45 is a flowchart showing an example of processing for linking a user with the device 10 when movement of the device 10 is detected.

[0302] Here we will show an example of a flow that combines several of the determination methods shown so far to determine whether the property has been moved or transferred.

[0303] The server 20 detects the power cut and the change of the installation location (S121).

[0304] The server 20 determines whether the device 10 has a display unit (S122).

[0305] If the device 10 does not have a display unit (No in S122), the server 20 determines whether or not multiple devices have moved simultaneously (S123).

[0306] If multiple users are not moving at the same time (No in S123), the server 20 reserves the association between the user and the device 10 (S124).

[0307] In step S123, if multiple devices have moved simultaneously (Yes in S123), the server 20 determines whether the multiple moved devices are only small home appliances (S125).

[0308] If the moved devices are only small home appliances (Yes in S125), the server 20 determines whether the devices will return to their original installation locations within a few days (S126).

[0309] If the devices are returned to their original locations within a few days (Yes in S126), or if the determination in step S125 is No, the server 20 maintains the association between the user and the devices (S127).

[0310] If the plurality of devices will not be returned to their original installation locations within a few days (Yes in S126), the server 20 proceeds to step S124.

[0311] In step S122, when server 20 determines that device 10 has a display unit (Yes in S122), it inquires of user's operation device 40 whether or not the transfer is being carried out (S128).

[0312] When server 20 receives a response from manipulation device 40 indicating that the device has been transferred (Yes in S128), server 20 releases the association between the user and the device.

[0313] If server 20 receives from manipulation device 40 a response indicating that the request is not a transfer (No in S128), server 20 proceeds to step S127.

[0314] In this example, even though there is no display unit and it is difficult for the user to confirm, if it can be determined that the user is moving, the determination flow is constructed so that the association between the user and the device 10 is not put on hold and the device can be used continuously.

[0315] FIG. 46 is a flowchart showing another example of the process of linking the user with the device 10 when movement of the device 10 is detected.

[0316] Contrary to the previous example, there is also the idea of ​​ensuring security by deferring linking in suspicious situations as much as possible and always requesting user confirmation. In this case, if multiple home appliances are being used, it would be cumbersome to perform the confirmation process for each one, so it would be desirable to have a configuration where the results can be shared through communication between IoT devices once one confirmation has been made.

[0317] In this case, the server 20 detects the power cut and the change of the installation location (S131).

[0318] The server 20 reserves the association between the user and the device 10 (S132).

[0319] Server 20 inquires of user's operation device 40 whether or not it is a transfer (S133).

[0320] When server 20 receives a response from manipulation device 40 indicating that the device has been transferred (Yes in S133), server 20 releases the association between the user and the device.

[0321] When server 20 receives a response from manipulation device 40 indicating that the transfer is not intended (No in S133), server 20 maintains the association between the user and the device (S135).

[0322] Next, a case where it is predicted that a "family composition change" has been made to the user in the state prediction of the device 10 will be described.

[0323] FIG. 47 is a diagram showing a graph of a case where a "family composition change" of a user is predicted.

[0324] As shown in Figure 47, the location of the device 10 remains the same, but the pattern of the number of times it is in operation has changed significantly. This is a case where a "family composition change" is predicted. The user may have undergone a change such as marriage or living with their parents, and a service can be provided such as displaying product advertisements appropriate to the change on the LED / display of the home appliance.

[0325] Next, a case where the device 10 is predicted to be "broken" or "discarded" in the device state prediction will be described.

[0326] Fig. 48 is a diagram showing a graph of a case where it is predicted that the device 10 has "broken down." Fig. 49 is a diagram showing a graph of a case where it is predicted that the device 10 has "discarded."

[0327] 48 and 49, if the server 20 has not received operation information and location information for a certain period of time or longer, it predicts that a "failure" or "disposal" has occurred. Furthermore, if the device 10 has a built-in battery for a communication module, the server 20 may predict that the device 10 has been "disposal" if the number of times the device 10 has operated becomes zero and no data has been transmitted for a certain period of time or longer after the location of the device 10 has changed.

[0328] In addition, if the server 20 has a built-in battery for the communication module, it can almost certainly determine that the device should be "discarded" if the location where communication was lost is within a specific range (an incinerator or recycling center). If the home appliance in question is subject to a recall, it may be removed from the recall management list once it has been determined to be "discarded." If the "discarded" determination is incorrect and the home appliance begins to function again, communication should have resumed, so it can be addressed by sending another recall notification. For this reason, the risk of a misidentification is considered to be low.

[0329] In this way, if the server 20 does not receive any operation information even after a predetermined period of time has passed since the fourth timing after the second timing, the server 20 may change the management status of the multiple pieces of operation information received up to the fourth timing to a non-management status.

[0330] In addition, if the communication unit 201 does not receive operation information even after a predetermined period of time has passed since the fourth timing after the second timing, and the fourth unique information received at the fourth timing is the same as any one of the multiple unique information included in the unique information list previously stored, the control unit 202 may change the management status of the multiple operation information received up to the fourth timing to an unmanaged status.

[0331] In this way, when the server 20 determines that the device 10 has broken down or is to be discarded, it does not manage the device 10, thereby reducing the processing load associated with management.

[0332] As described above, the embodiments have been described as examples of the technology in the present disclosure, and for that purpose, the accompanying drawings and detailed description have been provided.

[0333] Therefore, the components shown in the accompanying drawings and detailed description may include not only essential components for solving the problem, but also components that are not essential for solving the problem in order to illustrate the above implementation. Therefore, the fact that these non-essential components are shown in the accompanying drawings or detailed description should not be interpreted as immediately indicating that these non-essential components are essential.

[0334] Furthermore, since the above-described embodiments are intended to illustrate the technology of the present disclosure, various modifications, substitutions, additions, omissions, etc. may be made within the scope of the claims or their equivalents. [Industrial Applicability]

[0335] The present disclosure is useful as a device management system, a device management method, and the like that can efficiently manage devices. [Explanation of symbols]

[0336] 1. Equipment management system 10 Equipment 11, 13 Air Conditioner 12. Refrigerator 14. Television 20 servers 30 base station 40 Operating equipment 41, 42 Smartphone 43 VPA 101 Communication Module 102 Holding part 104 Control Unit 107 Functional Modules 108 Holding part 109 Power supply section 110 Battery 111 Operation section 112 Display section 201 Communications Department 202 Control section 203 Storage section 411, 421-423 screens

Claims

1. A device management method using a device management device, comprising: receiving a request for associating a first device identifier that identifies a first device with a first user identifier that identifies a first user; (i) when information indicating that a second user identified by a second user identifier different from the first user identifier is in the same group as the first user is received from an operation terminal operated by the first user, and (ii) when the second user identifier is associated with the first device identifier in a correspondence relationship in which a device identifier identifying a device and a user identifier identifying a user are associated with each other, the first device identifier and the second user identifier are stored in association with each other in the correspondence relationship. Equipment management method.

2. A program for causing a computer to execute the equipment management method described in claim 1.

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